Introducing the Twitch Safety Advisory Council

May 14 2020

Keeping our community safe and healthy is a top priority for Twitch. Today, we’re excited to announce the formation of the Twitch Safety Advisory Council, which will support the growth of our community moving forward.

The Safety Advisory Council will inform and guide decisions made at Twitch by contributing their experience, expertise, and belief in Twitch’s mission of empowering communities to create together. The Council will advise on a number of topics including:

Drafting new policies and policy updates

Developing products and features to improve safety and moderation

Promoting healthy streaming and work-life balance habits

Protecting the interests of marginalized groups

Identifying emerging trends that could impact the Twitch experience

This group is composed of online safety experts and Twitch creators who have a deep understanding of Twitch, its content, and its community. When developing this council we felt it was essential to include both experts who can provide an external perspective, as well as Twitch streamers who deeply understand creators’ unique challenges and viewpoints. Each member of the council was carefully selected based on their familiarity with the Twitch community and their relevant personal and professional experiences.

We are excited to work with this talented group to make Twitch the best place to grow and foster a community. The creation of the Safety Advisory Council is just one way we are enhancing our approach to issues of trust and safety. We will continue to invest in tools, products, and policies that promote the safety and well-being of everyone on Twitch.

Meet the members:

Alex Holmes

Alex is Deputy CEO at non-profit The Diana Award, which is a legacy to Princess Diana’s belief that young people have the power to change the world. He is the founder of the peer to peer support program Anti-Bullying Ambassadors, a network of trained young people dedicated to preventing peer on peer violence (on and offline) and bullying, particularly in schools. Alex sits on the global safety advisory boards of a number of the major social media and tech companies advising them on their approach to safety and online harms.

CohhCarnage is a Twitch Partner and one of the original variety streamers on Twitch. He plays most major releases and indie darlings and is well known for his 100% franchise playthroughs leading up to major game releases. CohhCarnage is known for his positive community “The Cohhilition” and his slogan “happy, helpful, respectful.”

Cupahnoodle is a partnered Twitch Ambassador and host/commentator, the Mayor of Cupton, a lover of zombies, and a music connoisseur. Her streams range from playing games, to hosting conventions and on site interviews, to providing colorful commentary at esports events.

Emma Llansó

Emma is the Director of the Center for Democracy & Technology’s Free Expression Project and leads CDT’s work to promote law and policy that support Internet users’ free expression rights in the United States, the European Union, and around the world. The Project’s work spans many subjects, including human trafficking, privacy and online reputation issues, counter-terrorism and “radicalizing” content, disinformation, and online harassment. Emma’s areas of focus include intermediary liability law, the capabilities and limitations of automated content analysis, transparency reporting, and best practices in content moderation for empowering users and online communities.

Steph has been a full time streamer since her debut playing competitive collegiate Heroes of the Storm in 2016. She was one of the first transgender streamers to ever be partnered on Twitch, and the first to bring a transgender pride flag emote to the platform. Her fight for inclusivity includes creating a competitive team composed entirely of marginalized gamers, and vehemently opposing non inclusive mechanics such as voice chat.

Dr. Sameer Hinduja

Dr. Hindujais a Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida Atlantic University and Co-Director of the Cyberbullying Research Center. He is recognized internationally for his groundbreaking work on the subjects of cyberbullying, sexting, and social media abuse, concerns that have paralleled the exponential growth in online communication by young people. As a noted speaker and expert on teens and social media use, Dr. Hinduja also trains students, educators, parents, mental health professionals, and other youth workers on how to promote the positive use of technology. Dr. Hinduja is also the Co-Founder and Co-Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Bullying Prevention, a new peer-reviewed journal from Springer.

T.L. Taylor

T.L. Taylor is Professor of Comparative Media Studies at MIT and co-founder and Director of Research for AnyKey, an organization dedicated to supporting and developing fair and inclusive esports. She is a qualitative sociologist who has focused on internet and game studies for over two decades. Dr. Taylor’s research explores the interrelations between culture and technology in online leisure environments. Her 2018 book, Watch Me Play: Twitch and the Rise of Game Live Streaming, is the first of its kind to chronicle the emerging media space of online game broadcasting.

Zizaran is a Twitch Partner who has been streaming since 2015. His streams mostly focus on ARPGs, particularly Path of Exile. He believes that Twitch has a culture you can’t find anywhere else and looks forward to helping Twitch make rules clearer and reducing community confusion, specifically when it comes to bans and suspensions on the platform.